Home sweet home for budding tennis stars Fernandez, Auger-Aliassime

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Nice is a word often used to describe Canadians and Flair Airlines couldn’t have found two nicer ambassadors than tennis stars Leylah Annie Fernandez and Félix Auger-Aliassime.

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The two players, fresh off successful runs at the U.S. Open in New York, flew to Montreal on the low-cost carrier Tuesday and met with the media to discuss their experiences in the Big Apple, their shared love for Canada and Montreal, and their plans for the future.

The 19-year-old Fernandez, who reached the singles final, and 21-year-old Auger-Aliassime, who advanced to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Daniil Medvedev, were poised, confident and, well, nice as they fielded questions in French and English.

While the two Canadians charmed the raucous New York crowds, Auger-Aliassime chuckled when asked about his legacy.

“This is the first time I’ve been asked about legacy at a press conference. I’m only 21,” said Auger-Aliassime. “Hopefully, after 10 years or so, I’ll have had a great career behind me and my legacy will be that I’ve inspired people not only with my game but with the person I am. With my personality, I can put smiles on faces, I can inspire, I can motivate and that is more rich than anything I can do on the tennis court.”

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While they said they aren’t international stars yet, they enjoyed some of trappings of stardom when they were invited to the Met Gala Monday. The fundraiser for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is known for its A-list attendees and outrageous fashion.

Fernandez honoured sisters Serena and Venus Williams by wearing a simple black and white cocktail dress designed by Venezuelan-American Carolina Herrera. The Williams sisters wore the same design for a 1998 Annie Leibovitz photo shoot for Vogue.

Fernandez said she talked to U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe, but she was “too chicken” to approach Riverdale star Lili Reinhart. As for Auger-Aliassime, who also wore a black and white ensemble, he was thrilled to be in the same room as NBA stars Steph Curry and Russell Westbrook.

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Fernandez has trained in Florida since she was 14 and Auger-Aliassime has a pad in Monte Carlo, but both said they consider Montreal as home and talked about the opportunities Canada provided for their immigrant parents. Auger-Aliassime’s father is from Togo, while Fernandez’s father is from Ecuador and her maternal grandparents are from the Philippines.

“Canada opened its doors to my grandparents and my dad and it was a struggle, but it gave us the opportunity to give us the life we wanted and it made it easier for me personally to keep going for my dreams,” said Fernandez.

The association with the low-cost airline is a natural fit because both players noted the bargain fares would have come in handy earlier in their careers when money was tight.

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That’s not the case for either player today. Auger-Aliassime has earned more than US$5 million and has several endorsement deals, including a multimillion-dollar contract with Adidas. After eliminating three of the top five seeds en route to the U.S. Open final, Fernandez earned US$1.25 million, which pushed her over US$2 million in career earnings.

Both players will spend a week in Montreal, visiting friends and family before returning to work. Next up for Auger-Aliassime is the Laver Cup next week in Boston, where he will join compatriot Denis Shapovalov on Team World. He and Fernandez will then head to California for the pandemic-delayed Indian Wells Masters event in early October.

phickey@postmedia.com

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